BEIRUT — Lebanon's foreign minister asked the president to
be relieved of his duties on Wednesday, the presidency said, after his comments
in a television interview strained ties with traditional Gulf Arab allies and
donors.
اضافة اعلان
Charbel Wehbe, who is a minister in the caretaker
government, suggested on Monday that Gulf states had supported the rise of Daesh, among other disparaging comments.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain
summoned Lebanon's ambassadors and issued formal complaints.
The comments have threatened Lebanese efforts amid its deep
economic crisis to improve ties with Sunni Muslim Gulf states, which have been
reluctant to offer the kind of financial help they once did because of their
frustration at the rising influence of Hezbollah, a Lebanese group backed by
Shi'ite Iran.
After meeting President
Michel Aoun, Wehbe said he had
submitted a request to step down "in light of the recent developments and
the circumstances that accompanied the interview I gave to a television
station".
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